LSU guard Eric Gaines (2) wraps a pass around UF defenders CJ Felder and Jason Jitoboh during Wednesday night's game at the O'Dome. (Photo: Chris Kim/UAA Communications)
Undermanned Tigers Tough One Out vs Cold-Shooting Gators
Wednesday, January 12, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The opening tipoff Wednesday night was won by Florida's Colin Castleton, who tipped the ball back toward his team's goal in the direction of a teammate. The ball, instead, was caught in stride by LSU forward Darius Mays, who coasted in for an easy layup. The game was three seconds old.
The Gators played from behind the rest of the way. Sometimes from far behind, trailing by 14 in both halves, but eventually playing well enough — overcoming enough missed shots and free throws — to face nine second-half defensive possessions (twice they were within three, five times within two, once within one) when a stop could have meant a chance to tie or take the lead. The Tigers, even with their starting point guard sidelined by injury and their two best low-post players fouling out early, made like the nation's 12th-ranked team and won those pivotal possessions. Every single one.
In turn, they also won the game, claiming a 64-58 victory at Exactech Arena/O'Connell that dumped the Gators (9-6, 0-3) to winless through three Southeastern Conference — granted, all against ranked opponents — for the first time since the 1980-81 season.
"We're putting ourselves in the right position," Castleton said. "We're just not finishing it out."
Mays, the hometown product who prepped six miles from the O'Dome at Gainesville The Rock before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., scored a game-high 20 points on 9-for-14 shooting and also grabbed six rebounds and carded four steals. Point guard Eric Gaines, replacing injured Xavier Pinson (knee), added 15 points and knocked down six of seven free throws. The Tigers (15-1, 3-1) shot 50 percent for the game and scored a whopping 42 points in the paint, despite 6-8 leading scorer Tari Eason and 7-foot standout freshman Efton Reid together totaling just eight points and four rebounds over their combined 20 minutes.
As it turned out, LSU didn't need its bigs because Florida was struggling to just 36.4-percent shooting for the game and a disastrous 11-for-22 from the free-throw line, including 4-for-11 in the second half while the Gators were frantically trying to come from behind.
"I'm not sure we've gotten better looks this year, and it's disheartening because [LSU] is the No. 1 defense in the country," UF coach Mike White said of a Tigers team that came in allowing just 56.4 points per game, 34.9-percent shooting, 26.6 percent from three and averaging 12.3 steals per game. "In the second half, we settled in with our decisions with the ball and made unselfish plays with the extra [passes]."
But weren't rewarded often enough.
Besides Castleton, who was excellent in scoring 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor and 5-for-6 from the line to go with nine rebounds and a couple assists, UF had just one other player reach double figures. In fact, Gators not named Castleton combined to go 13-for-45 from the field (.288) and six of 16 from the free-throw line (.375). Senior guard Myreon Jones finished 2-for-12 from the floor and grad-transfer guard Brandon McKissic went 1-for-8.
UF senior forward Colin Castleton, here bodying up in the post against Tari Eason, continued his splendid play against LSU on his way to 19 points and nine rebounds. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
LSU scored the first six points of the second half and led by 14 when UF backup wing Phlandrous Fleming (11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) hit a 3-pointer from the corner at the 16:33 mark and immediately was hit with a technical foul for taunting. The play awakened the Gators, though, because after Gaines made the two techs UF took off on a 9-0 run to close within three, 46-43, with 12 minutes left.
That was the first of the nine one-possession occasions the Gators could not come up with the stop.
"You just have to play better defense," Castleton said.
Make free throws, too.
The LSU lead was three with just over seven to go when forward Anthony Duruji (8 points, 2 rebounds) went to the line and bounced a pair. With 4:53 to go and the Gators down three, senior guard Myreon Jones (9 points, 2-for-12 from the floor, 5 rebounds) used a great head-fake to draw a 3-point-shooting foul on the wing. With a chance to tie the score, Jones made one of three free throws. And with 2:29 to go and the Tigers up four, McKissic went to the line, chance to trim things to two, and missed both.
That time, at the other, the Gators got the stop and Duruji scored at Florida's end to make it a two-point game, at 60-58, with 1:33 remaining. Now, they had to get another stop. There were only go to be so many more chances.
Gaines drove baseline and skated through the UF defense for a reverse layup with 1:11 remaining for a two-possession advantage. Another one.
"Give our guys credit, man. We're a tough out. We've got guys that step up and come through for us," Tigers coach Will Wade said. "We just dug it out there. We didn't have our normal lineups in there; we had lineups in there we've never practiced with. Our guys just found a way. We were just relentless attacking that rim."
McKissic missed a 3 at the other end (UF missed its last eight shots from distance). The Tigers finished the game with a couple free throws.
And put the Gators in a place they haven't been in 41 years.
"I think it's all mental. We're good basketball players. We have to knock down shots, knock down free throws," Duruji said. "But it's a long season."
The goal now is avoid making it feel like a long season. In a very difficult, unforgiving league, to boot.
